Exorbitant interest rate: 2 arrested in Thanjavur dist

TIRUCHY: Two persons, including a woman, were arrested under ‘operation kanthuvatti’ for allegedly threatening and collecting exorbitant interest from their debtors on Saturday.

As a part of statewide operation against usury (kanthu vatti), Thanjavur SP G Ravali Priya ordered the police to carry out a drive against usurers across the district.

Based on the order, the district police conducted an elaborate investigation during which they found M Santhanadevi (38) from Patteeswaram had borrowed a sum of Rs 1 lakh from Ayyappan (45) of the same area and had reportedly paid a sum of upto Rs 60,000 as interest. On Saturday, Ayyappan demaned more money as interest from Santhana Devi. Not able to bear the harassment, Santhanadevi lodged a complaint with the Patteeswaram police. Acting on the complaint, the police arrested Ayyappan and conducted a search at his house in which the police seized several important documents.

Similarly, S Uma (44), from Mathakkottai in Thanjavur borrowed a sum of Rs 1 lakh from K Mallika and had paid around Rs 60,000 as interest. But Mallika had insisted Uma to pay more as interest. So Uma lodged a complaint with the Thanjavur Tamil University police who registered a case and arrested Mallika.

The police appealed to the people to come forward and lodge complaints to against such unscrupulous elements so that the usury menace could be rooted out from the district.

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